Baahubali Review

The advance booking lines stretched for a kilometer and a half. Multiplexes are screening 25-30 shows a day for the rest of the week. Every theatre in RTC X Roads is playing the same movie (does anyone remember this happening before?). Prasads this morning was more like a temple on a festival morning - people coming in all their finery with families and all of them looking up to the screen like they would a deity to grant them their boons.

Just how does one succeed in the face of such humongous expectations?

Rajamouli must have been aware of all these. Acutely and painfully aware. Which explains why he crammed Baahubali with every cliché possible - from a romantic number ending in a lovemaking scene and an item scorcher in a thieves market to an escape scene in an avalanche and a crowd-pleasing speech that rallies troops to victory, you name it and you have it in Baahubali.

So how does it all pan out? Well, the answers to some questions are best seen in a movie theatre.

Baahubali, widely considered India's biggest motion picture, begins with a few electrifying rabble-rousing scenes - enough for the audiences to scream themselves hoarse before it has all even begun. The film narrates the story of Sivudu (Prabhas with a prominent six-pack), a youth from a tribal settlement who aspires to climb to the top of the waterfall by which his tribe is settled. When he finally scales it, he meets Avantika (Tamannah) and her band of outlaws, all of whom live for the sole aim of bringing Devasena (Anushka) back from her confinement.

Sivudu falls in love with Avantika and vows that he will fulfill her mission and bring her back. This quest leads him to the kingdom of Mahishmati ruled by Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati). What happens in the kingdom of Mahishmathi forms the remaining part of Baahubali - The Beginning, and leaves us with a nice twist to look forward to the second half.

Rajamouli, the director who's yet to taste failure, has crafted Baahubali with utmost care. He strives to make every scene grand - it is almost as if he's conscious that he's making an epic movie. This desire mars the first half, and some tacky visual effects leave us wanting further. It is when the second half begins that the fun starts.

The moment the movie shifts to Mahishmati of yore, Rajamouli's magic begins to work, and the emotion and action begin to flow. The final war sequence, lasting well over a half hour, will leave you spellbound. However, a good part of the rest of the film is a flip side to that. You will, at some point, surely wonder if Rajamouli was so spent after shooting these war sequences that he left the remaining movie to chance. Or maybe he was so confident that the war sequences would see him through that he decided he'd get the benefit of doubt for the rest.

Either way, as we mentioned, Baahubali astounds in some parts but leaves you wanting for a good while. The fact that the film is incomplete, does, too - it gives you the feeling that you walked out in the interval. What is now needed is a solid consummation - a really solid second part. Oh wait, did the expectations on that just increase?

Technically, Baahubali is up there - a real drumroll for everyone involved. A few sequences in the first half may be underwhelming, but it is amazing how several scenes in the second have been visualized and brought to life. Senthil amazes with his cinematography, Keeravani provides a rousing background score (though he could've been better in the songs department) and Peter Hein billows out some awesome action choreography.

Acting-wise, everyone lives in their respective role. Prabhakar as the Kalakeya warlord, Nasser as the handicapped and scheming royal, Ramyakrishna as Rajamaata, Anushka as Devasena, Rana as Bhallala Deva, Prabhas as Sivudu and Baahubali, Satyaraj as Kattappa and Sudeep in his miniscule role - they give their all to this magnum opus. The only false notes come from Adivi Sesh and the item girls, but those are minor grouses.

There is frankly little point in us recommending (or not recommending) Baahubali - you'll watch it anyway. But still, here it is - go watch it. Baahubali gets an A+ for intent and an A- for execution, but it is still an A.

It's true that filmmaking is no easy job. Especially when it comes to make a film of a high and grand grandeur. But, Mr S. S. Rajamauli has proved that nothing is impossible of Indian filmmakers, provided that they have the technology, actors and of course, a story that can make a film work. Baahubali The Beginning is a perfect example of this thing.

From the very first scene, the film makes an impact on the viewers. As the film keeps unfolding, entertainment level increases. It can be said that what seemed to exist only in imagination has come to be true in Baahubaali The Beginning. It's perhaps the first technically most brilliant film I have ever enjoyed on big screen ever in my life.

All a result of excellent filmmaking.

Coming to performances, Prabhas is quite energetic, and he fits in the provided roles. Tamannaah looks quite amazing and does very well and has a role never seen before. Anushka Shetty also does well in a little explored role. Sathyaraj does very well, as he has a good character and he delivers. Besides, Rana Daggubati also seems energetic in his character. Nasser, Ramya Krishnan and others too do their respective parts extremely well.

A result of excellent performances.

Coming to music, you get to hear a pleasant music,as a trademark of every film of Rajamauli. The type of romance you get to see in almost every Rajamauli film too is present here. The film's every element is so good that you will end up falling in love with it.

A result of pleasing music.

Coming to action scenes and technical department, which are the main highlights of the film, the film scores a 100% in every context. There is not even a single scene where you will get a chance to blink. The war episodes, action scenes, from the beginning to the end, are really worth praise. It can be said that it's another excellent film from the director who made Magadheera.

A result of devoted and highly entertaining imagination.

Coming to the story and screenplay, its here very well in the part 1. However, since its a two part film, you will have to wait for part two to find the entire story. But still, the way the film ends will leave you thinking what would be in the next part. But you will surely not forget this one.

It's also true that for watching the conclusion, you need to watch the beginning. It's a good trend by Rajamauli sir to make films in two parts so that the viewers enjoy both.

Overall, Baahubali The Beginning is a perfect, perfect and perhaps the most perfect film of Indian Cinema ever. It's a sort of film that can't be missed on the big screen. Besides, the part two will be coming soon in 2016. I am really unable to control my excitement and I have been thinking about it since the time I left my seat. It's a sort of film that is truly great, amazing and good enough that you will be left stunned forever. Definitely a mega BLOCKBUSTER!

1.This was the best acting Tamannah ever did2.A lot of fights and sets were "inspired" by 300,Troy,Gladiator,Game of thrones and other Hollywood films3.First half was boring4.Most of the story left for second part5.Popcorn in PVR cost a fortune and seats are not comfy

The first few scenes are really irritating. First one the sivalingam scene, second one arrow scene, third one the ice skating scene. In such a hill mountains, the temperature will be less than -10 degrees. At that temperature the skin burns and body turns into red color due to over cooling. Only some people who are capable of doing pathanjali can survive. Look at he costumes of lead pair, do you really think it can happen, not even in imagination. Rajamouli became mad in such scence, like the one with shark in Chatrapathi. The nonsense romantic scene between the warrior girl and the hero is very bad idea. Why there should be an item song in the second half? The story of the movie is good, I liked it, and the set of Mahishmathi is really good. Rest all effects are crap. This movie is nowhere near the international movies 300, Gladiator, Troy etc. Look at the movie life of pie. All the movie was taken in a swimming pool and created like it was done in the ocean. You never see the special effects in that movie. In Bahubali, those effects are clearly visible. You can watch the movie for its story. When there is a second part to a movie, the first parts ends like this only. It is quite genuine. Apart from that the actors have done really good job, including Tamanna. I liked her role and the way she performed. Give this portion to Kajal and you can imagine how horrible it will be. Tamanna was really good when compared to others. Ramyakrishna, Sathyaraj, Nazar were outstanding.Watch this movie for the performances. Anushka's role is not small, the entire movie revolved around her only, to release her.

the film has its pros and cons. i think the director wanted to reserve the entire story for the 2nd part instead of exciting the spectators with the part 1 . His concentration was to conceal the actual plot and raise the expectations on the 2nd one. Normally one finds his film exciting with great emotions although the same are present they weren't established as strong as his previous filmsthe film is a must watch at least once for the efforts invested.

Pros: 2nd half one can't take his eye off although the narration is slowCons: romantic track of the lead pair

#BAHUBALI-MY 2 CENTS"Bahubali surpasses 300 on IMDB ratings", screams Indian Express Indeed it is true.300 has a rating of 7.8 and Bahubali 9.4.Forget the fact that 300 has 5.5 lakh votes and Bahubali 9000 votes.The liberties taken by the newspaper only show the anticipation this movie has generated across the country.1.5 km is the distance..not for the nearest theatre but the advance booking lines in Hyderabad and the black market price of the ticket would have long surpassed the IMDB votes count.Stunning locales and a throwback story of a Kingdom Mahismati starts with Game of Thrones style maps.You would expect grandeur and glory and of course aeons of praise to Almighty. Bang on.Sivudu literally carries the Shiva Linga on his shoulders so his mom can avoid the trips to the river in bathing the deity.So start the boulder lifting scenes and continue throughout the movie.What starts chasing a beautiful damsel brings him to the doorsteps of his glorious flashback..his own dad betrayed by the enemies as in a typical king's tale.The flashback is just The Beginning as new younger enemies emerge and will have to be dealt with in The Conclusion.Prabhas is earmarked for this role and but for his weak voice over (sorry its good to hear him woo the girls but everything else sounds the same way and that's an issue)Tamanna is given a Divergent/Hunger Games kinda role but the expression she has when she is reminded of her responsibility (to bring back the imprisoned Queen of Mahismati) is similar to what you see when she is disappointed her date stood up or her mobile battery went out.Devasena the Queen is typical Anushka of Arundhati fame...only she gets a minimal screen time.I would've loved to see Anushka in Tamanna's role and Devasena played by some other actress.Satyaraj steals the show and so does Ramya Krishna.Rana the Bhallaladeva, the main character besides Sivudu is a weak link to me.Nevertheless Bahubali delivers what it promises..grandiose sets, great action sequences and stunning visuals.But it also has plots predictable miles away and absence of any subplots.And for such a tale the background music and the songs should have been equally grandiose.They never fit the bill. The mythological Sri Ramadasu has absolutely haunting songs that stay with you.None of the songs here does.May be that's where it doesn't work for me. The movie is NOT intense to watch..ok am not expecting Game of Thrones intensity but you know what I mean.The stunning set pieces and the Mahabharat like plot heightens your expectations and that could affect your experience...as the bar is set but never raised by the director nor the stars while you set the bar higher and higher.It's a good watch may be a great watch but just NOT a compelling watch.If you are one of the fans who deify your heroes go ahead and blow the conch.If you are fan of a director go ahead and bask in the glory.The whole world is talking about the movie. After all its a 40 million dollar monster of a magnum opus.But if you are neutral to the above and like a riveting compelling war story go watch this after the booking lines are as long as the sword the hero weilds. TILL then you watch 300 or Troy or, you get the drift.Sorry I am not going to mention GOT here.Winter is coming in 2016 by the way.

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